Help
by IrishBookworm3
Summary: Vera's been hiding a dark secret. When it comes out, Victor helps her heal. Maybe slightly AU.
1. Eglantine Rose

**A/N:** So, I've done a little editing on the story. The biggest change would be combining the first and second chapters of the story into one. For those of you who haven't read the original, this is an idea I had after seeing Rufus threatening Vera.

o~0~o

_1. Eglantine Rose (A Wound To Heal)_

Vera Devenish stood among the trees, her eyes fixed on the imposing building in front of her. Frobisher Library normally represented a sanctuary for her, tucked away among the trees. Now though, all she could think about was the events currently taking place inside. Part of her desperately wished that Rufus would fail, and the rest of the world would never be subjected to his sadistic nature. She knew, however, that if he did not succeed, she would suffer his displeasure. She shivered, despite the warm air, and forced her mind away from such thoughts.

Something flashed across the window, and she gasped, moving closer. The majority of Anubis House was inside the library! Vera briefly wondered where on earth Victor was. As she watched, Nina Martin opened the case displaying the replica Mask of Anubis. She couldn't think why the girl would want it; it was common knowledge that Louisa Frobisher-Smythe had made a bronze replica of the real Mask for donation to the Treasures of Egypt exhibition. A blinding white light flared, and she reeled back from the window. Blinking fast in order to remove the spots from her vision, she returned to her place. She hated having her vision impaired; it reminded her of being frozen in the attic, only able to see straight ahead. She blinked hard again, sure she was seeing things. The Mask appeared to have turned gold, and Nina was wearing it! The girl was outlined in white, and seemed to be speaking. Vera cursed the thick stone walls, and resigned herself to not hearing one word of the conversation. Nina ascended the staircase, while her friends called out to her. She ignored them, which Vera found unusual for the friendly girl. What terrified her, though, was Nina throwing a bolt of fire at Fabian, of all people! If the Mask could make a person do that... She didn't finish that thought. Suddenly, she noticed Rufus and Victor in the library. She immediately felt cold. Rufus had proved he was willing to kill for the Mask. She didn't think she could bear it if anything happened to the kids. Or Victor... She shook her head. Victor was saying something. She would have given anything to hear what he was saying. She nearly fainted when Rufus put on the Mask. As it was, she fell back from the window and leaned against the wall. Another light flashed, red this time, and she hastily returned to the window. She could hardly see at first, then as the light receded, she saw the Mask fall to the floor. As she wondered what happened to Rufus, everyone gathered around Joy, who was collapsed on the floor. Nina handed Victor the Mask, and as he turned around, Vera could see a tear of gold glittering on the end of it. As he poured the tear into Joy's mouth, Vera felt a surge of love, which was swiftly quashed as she realised he most likely despised her now. Letting out a strangled sob, she ducked behind a tree, just before the students left the library. When she thought everyone had left, she finally let the tears flow.

"Vera?" a familiar voice asked.

She turned around. "Victor..."

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine." she replied, wiping away her tears. Seconds later, she froze, realising too late that she had wiped away some of her makeup.

"What happened to your eye?"

o~O~o

Victor stared at the woman before him. She looked exactly as she had the last time he saw her, apart from the reddish-purple pigmentation around her right eye. He had seen some cases of abuse in his years with the school, but he couldn't imagine how it could have happened to Vera. He wasn't even sure it was abuse, until he saw the fear in her eyes. Still, he was puzzled. She'd been at Anubis House, with him, until... It hit him with the force of a sledgehammer. She still hadn't answered him.

"Did Rufus..." The effect was instantaneous. She visibly tensed and her eyes widened. In short, she was terrified. He hastened to soothe her, hesitating a moment before putting his arms around her as she began to cry into his shoulder.

"Ssshhh, it's alright." he murmured, stroking her back. Absently, he noticed that her hair smelled like lilies.

"H-he...he was..."

"He's gone now." He couldn't think of anything else to say. He wasn't sure how long they stood there, holding each other, before she stopped crying and drew back.

"I'm sorry." she said quietly, wiping her eyes.

"Here." He handed her a handkerchief. She murmured her thanks, wincing as she touched the bruise around her eye.

"Shall I get you some ice?"

"I think it might be a little late for that." she replied with a weak attempt at a smile.

"Still, it will help bring down the swelling. Come back to the house with me."

"But won't the children still be awake?"

"If they are, then they know what happens if they do not observe their curfew, don't they?" She gave a real smile at that, before turning in the direction of the house. Victor noticed with a frown that she was limping. Wondering what exactly had been done to her, he followed suit.

o~O~o

Vera's mind was whirring as they walked back to the house. She couldn't tell if Victor was helping her because he felt sorry for her, or because he still... She shook her head, telling herself that it must be the former. Her musings were interrupted by their arrival at the house. Victor motioned for her to stay where she was, as he went inside to give his usual speech. She glanced at her watch, then smiled; ten o'clock had long since passed. He came back a few moments later, bringing with him an ice pack. She raised it to her eye, sighing slightly at the relief. She stepped inside the foyer, looking around as she did so.

"Do you want something to drink?"

She glanced over at him. "No, thank you."

"Would you like anything else?"

"I think I'd just prefer to go to bed."

"Of course. Will you need..."

"Most of my things are still here."

"Ah. Well, then."

She went upstairs, pausing at the top. Victor, who was behind her, looked at her with concern.

"Is everything alright, Vera?"

"Well, it just occurred to me that the children might question my still being here tomorrow morning."

"They're leaving in the morning, and then we will have the house to ourselves."

"Oh. Well, I suppose I should go to bed, before anyone sees me."

"Indeed. Goodnight, Vera."

"Goodnight, Victor." She turned towards the attic door, before pulling it open and climbing the stairs to her old bedroom. Taking a deep breath, she pushed open the door. As it creaked open and the room came into view, the memories washed over her. Blinking back more tears, she turned and looked at the mirror. It was still broken. Victor clearly hadn't touched anything since she'd left. Looking at her shattered reflection, she bitterly thought that it summed her up completely. Broken. Moving towards the wardrobe, she changed into her nightclothes, before lying down on the bed and falling asleep.


	2. Marigold

**A/N:** I forgot to mention in the last chapter, that every chapter will be named after a flower which symbolises the mood in that chapter.

o~0~o

_2. Marigold (Pain and Grief)_

Vera woke with a start. For a moment, she wondered why she was in her room at Anubis House. The memory of the previous night came back then, and she groaned, falling back onto her pillow. The early morning sunlight streamed through the stained-glass window, painting the floor different colours. She glanced at the clock, and groaned again. Five in the morning. Acknowledging that she probably wouldn't be able to fall back asleep, she slowly rose from the bed and walked over to her wardrobe. Staring at the clothes inside, she pursed her lips before selecting her favourite outfit; a dark blue skirt, floral blouse and blue cardigan. She debated on whether to wear makeup or not, before deciding against. She reasoned that Victor knew about...it...now, and with her mirror still broken, it would take a miracle to apply it correctly. Crossing over to her armchair, she picked up her much-worn copy of The Odyssey and lost herself in the tale of Odysseus' travels. She had just finished Book Twenty-One when footsteps echoed outside the door. She stiffened, thinking it was one of the students sneaking around, then relaxed as Victor's voice rang out.

"Vera? May I come in?"

"Yes, of course."

He opened the door, wincing slightly as he caught sight of her face. She took that as meaning her eye looked worse this morning.

"The students are all gone. Are you coming downstairs?"

"Yes, just a minute." She laid down her book, marking the page, before joining him at the door. He held it open for her, allowing her to descend the stairs first.

"Have you been to a doctor?"

"My sister works at the hospital. I'll call and ask for an appointment."

"You have a sister?"

"My twin, Katherine. We're not identical, but we do look quite similar." As they moved along the landing, she pulled out her phone, scrolling through the list of numbers.

"Does she know about..."

Vera sighed, having expected this question. "No. Rufus never let me call my family. He would check my phone, to see who I'd contacted. If it was anyone but him..." She didn't finish the sentence. Victor seemed to understand, and gently squeezed her hand. She glanced at him, then took a breath and continued. "He never hurt me badly enough for me to require medical attention, and he couldn't hurt me while I was here. I haven't seen Kat in months." Finding the number, she steeled herself for the conversation ahead, before dialling the number. As expected, the call was answered straight away.

"V? Is that you?"

"Hi, Kat."

"Where have you been? Why didn't you call? You could have been in India for all I knew! Wherever you went, I hope you at least bought me a souvenir."

"It's a long story."

"You met someone, didn't you? What's his name? What does he look like? Where does he live? What-"

Vera interjected. "Kat, it's a really long story. And I need, well, I need your help."

"Sister help or doctor help?"

"A little bit of both, actually."

"Where are you? I'll be there as soon as possible."

"You don't need to-"

"My turn to cut across now. If you want sister help, it won't be in a doctor's office. You're not hurt too badly, are you?"

"No, just some bruises, but-"

"Great! Where are you?"

"Do you know where Anubis House is?"

"Oh, yeah. I got a patient from there a few months ago, poor kid must have drank his chemistry homework. I'll be there in about twenty minutes, just need to call this in as a home visit. See you soon?"

"Alright." She hung up then, before turning to Victor. "She says she'll be here in twenty minutes. Apparently, sisterly talks can't take place in a doctor's office." He smiled at that, before moving towards the main stairs. He was still loosely holding her hand, and she followed, feeling nervous about her meeting with Kat. They turned at the base of the stairs, strolling into the living room. He guided her towards the table, pulling out a chair for her.

"Would you like some breakfast?"

"Just some tea and toast, if that's alright." As he turned towards the kitchen, Trudy came into the hall. Vera gasped slightly, having forgotten about her being in the house, and turned her face away from the door, praying that she wouldn't be noticed.

"Victor, I'm off now, I just- Vera, what are you doing here?"

She cursed inwardly, before slowly turning towards Trudy. As expected, she gasped, before rushing over.

"What on earth happened to your eye? Do you need a doctor? Victor, did you know about this?"

"Trudy, please. My sister is a doctor and is coming to examine my eye. Victor does know about this, and as for what exactly happened, well... it's a long story. I'll tell you after I talk to my sister."

"Alright, dear. Victor, what are you doing?" As Trudy went into the kitchen, Vera sighed and put her head in her hands while she gathered her thoughts. Victor came in a few moments later, sitting down beside her.

"Trudy has taken over breakfast. It pains me to admit it, but," he lowered his voice to a whisper, "I'm not much of a cook." She lifted her head and smiled, feeling the familiar fluttering in her tummy. Glancing away, she resisted the urge to take his hand again. Trudy saved her from having to talk by placing breakfast on her other side. She thanked her, and had just taken a sip of her tea when the doorbell rang. Setting down her cup, she made to rise from the table when Victor rose as well, motioning for her to stay. Taking a small bite of toast, she listened as the clip-clop of heeled shoes echoed in the hall. Victor reappeared in the doorway, Katherine just visible behind him.

"I'll leave you to it, shall I?"

"Thank you, Victor." He turned and went upstairs. Katherine ran in, sitting in Victors's empty chair and firing off questions at full speed.

"V, what happened to your face? Any other bruises?"

"On my leg and my ribs."

"What, were you in a car crash?"

"No, it was...well..."

"That Victor didn't do it, did he?"

"What? No, Victor found me after this happened."

"He had better not have touched you or-"

"Kat, he would never hurt me." As she said it, she felt a pang as she thought of before. Victor had been so sweet and kind, so worried when she was frozen. She'd felt so safe when he was near, so happy when he'd kissed her forehead. And then...she'd ruined it.

"Hello, V? Come on, I need to check your eyes."

"Huh? Oh, sorry. I was just thinking about a few weeks ago."

"I know that look...What's going on?"

"Well, I got a job here. As housemother, after the last one left. Victor was my-"

"Was?"

"I got fired. Well, while I worked here, I sort of, well, started to-"

"You started to like him?"

"Yes. But, I was already-"

"You already had someone?"

"Could I finish a sentence please? Yes, I had someone. But it wasn't a...good...relationship."

"That guy did this? I'm going to kill him, whoever he is!"

"He's already dead."

"Ah. Well then, what's the story with Victor?"

"The last guy, well, he and Victor didn't exactly...get along."

"Minor dispute or arch-enemies?"

"Arch-enemies. Well, he called me, and Victor heard my phone ring. He saw the caller ID and, well, you can guess how he felt."

"Is that why you got fired?"

"Yes. He was heartbroken. It nearly killed me to see him like that. Then later, after I left and Rufus did...this, there was an altercation in the old library. To cut a long story short, we separated, Victor heard me outside, saw my eye and brought me back here."

"When was this?"

"Last night."

"Last night? Why didn't you call me sooner?"

"Very late last night."

"Fair enough. Alright so, nothing's broken, there's no lacerations, you're okay apart from the bruises and a sprained ankle. Just let me bandage that, and we'll be done with the doctor business."

"Haven't we covered the sister business as well?"

"You still haven't told me exactly what happened with Victor. You must have meant a lot to him if he was heartbroken when you left."

"We collaborated on a little project of his. We grew closer during the work."

"Did you kiss?"

"He kissed me on the forehead, once."

"Yes! And then?"

"And then, things with Rufus got worse. He started calling me more often, following me, he even threatened to kill me!" She finally started crying at that, and Kat moved closer, putting her arms around her.

"Someone threatened to kill you?" came Trudy's voice from behind them. The two women jumped, turning around.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop. I just thought you might like some tea, Doctor." She was gracious enough to blush as she set down the cup.

"Please, call me Katherine, er..."

"Trudy, Trudy Rehmann. I'm the housemother here, well, I was, until I left."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Trudy. Thanks for the tea."

"Trudy, h-how much did you hear?" Vera was anxious to know how much she would have to retell.

"Not much, just the last part, about someone threatening you. What happened?"

"I...erm..."

"She just got out of a bad relationship."

"Oh, no, Vera, come here, love." Kat still had her arms around her sister, and so Trudy started rubbing her back in a soothing motion. Vera felt a stab of guilt as she remembered all the terrible things she'd done to the woman now comforting her. Crying harder, she couldn't believe she wasn't even able to apologise, because Trudy didn't remember. Her sobbing was interrupted by the beeping of Kat's pager.

"Dammit! Sorry V, there's been a car crash. I've got to go."

"A-alright." She sat up straight, wiping at her eyes.

"Are you sure you'll be alright?"

"Yes, go on. I'll be fine."

"If you're sure...I could get someone else to cover for me."

"No, Kat. Helping people is your life, I can't drag you away when your patients need you."

"But you need me too."

"I'll call you if I need to cry, I promise."

"Okay. Call me tonight then. I want to hear about your day."

"I will. Now, I thought car crashes were urgent?"

"Right! I'll get going." Kat gave her one last hug, then ran out to the hall, pulling open the door. Vera followed at a slower pace, watching her sister's silver Fiat peel down the driveway. She had a feeling Kat was breaking a few traffic laws, and the irony wasn't wasted on her.

"She seems in a hurry." Victor remarked from the staircase.

She turned around, startled. "Oh, she was called back to the hospital."

"Nothing too serious, I hope."

"A car crash."

"How ironic. She's going to treat victims of a car accident, while breaking speeding laws trying to get there."

"Kat's always been a little...lax...when it comes to rules."

"So she was similar to Lewis and Clarke, then?"

"We both were."

"You both were?"

"Oh, yes. We even had a nickname; the Twin Terrors. Surprised?"

"Honestly, yes."

"Most people are. I grew out of it, mostly. Kat didn't." She gave a small laugh, sighing after. Victor seemed to notice, and squeezed her hand again.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

"Really?" He was looking at her, like a she was a student caught sneaking out after hours. She lasted about two seconds under his gaze, before cracking.

"No, I'm not. I just...well...it's been a hard day." She felt like crying again, but she didn't think she had any tears left. He must have sensed her distress, as he pulled her into a gentle embrace. She sighed again. "Victor..."

"Yes?"

"...Nothing." She pulled away from his arms, before ascending the staircase and heading back to her room. She must have had some tears left after all, for as soon as she closed the door, she fell to her knees and cried her heart out.


	3. Snowdrop

**A/N:** Quick heads-up, this is the last chapter from Victor's POV, plus some parts I didn't think fitted in Vera's POV.

o~0~o

_3. Snowdrop (Consolation)_

Victor rose early, as always. He never slept much, and with what he'd learned last night, well, it was a miracle he'd gotten any sleep at all. "What to do, Corbierre," he murmured. He did this often; voicing his thoughts aloud in the hopes that he could create some order from the chaos inside his mind. Now though, he couldn't see any possible order to be made. Last night's astonishing revelations had so thoroughly unsettled him that his mind had been whirring ever since, attempting to discern his feelings towards the woman now sleeping upstairs. His musings were interrupted, however, by the noise of Amber Millington attempting to drag multiple suitcases down the staircase. He considered one of his usual cutting remarks, but, considering her part in the events in the library, settled for a glare instead. Nina Martin followed, dragging one of Amber's suitcases along with her own. Accepting that he would hardly be capable of contemplation with the level of noise in the house, he instead pulled out his copy of the Complete Works of Edgar Allan Poe and began reading Ulalume. A short while later, a crash downstairs diverted his attention. Sighing exasperatedly, he exited his office and went over to the banister. Alfie Lewis had, in his rush to leave, walked into the sarcophagus in the main hall. Fixing his best glare on the boy, he meant to convey the message of his imminent doom. The message, however, never reached its target; the boy righted the sarcophagus and was out the door in the blink of an eye. Realising that Lewis was the last student to leave, he turned towards the attic door. Ascending the stairs, he paused outside. Last week, he wouldn't have thought twice about knocking on the door, knowing she would greet him with a smile. Now though, he wasn't sure how she would take his presence. Summoning the courage, he called out gently.

"Vera? May I come in?"

Her answer rang out a moment later. "Yes, of course." He eased open the door, knowing how much it creaked. Vera was curled up in her armchair with a book on her lap. She wasn't wearing makeup, and her bruised eye stood out even more against her paler skin. He couldn't help a slight wince as he caught sight of the livid discolouration.

"The students are all gone. Are you coming downstairs?"

"Yes, just a minute." She lay down her book, and rose to join him. He held open the door for her, noting with concern that she was still limping slightly.

"Have you been to a doctor?" Knowing that it was unlikely for Rufus to hold back, even with a woman smaller than he was, he was extremely concerned for her health.

"My sister works at the hospital. I'll call and ask for an appointment."

"You have a sister?" Relieved though he was that she knew a doctor, he realised how little he actually knew about her.

"My twin, Katherine. We're not identical, but we do look quite similar." She pulled out her phone, presumably looking for her sister's number. He processed this new information, before deciding to bite the bullet and ask the question.

"Does she know about..."

She sighed quietly before answering. "No. Rufus never let me call my family. He would check my phone, to see who I'd contacted. If it was anyone but him..." She trailed off before the end. He could guess what she meant, though, and gently took her hand, squeezing it slightly. She glanced up at him, before continuing. She didn't pull her hand away though, a reassuring sign. "He never hurt me badly enough for me to require medical attention, and he couldn't hurt me while I was here. I haven't seen Kat in months." As she placed the phone to her ear, he took a moment to look at her in broad daylight. Without her makeup, he could see the effect of the stress upon her. Her face was pale and drawn, while there was a dark shadow under her left eye. She clearly hadn't slept much recently. He couldn't blame her, after all she had been through in the past few months. He remembered clearly the day he found her in the attic. The dream, too, he remembered. His worst nightmare, or so he'd thought. Last night had proven that to be completely incorrect. Her voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

"She says she'll be here in twenty minutes. Apparently, sisterly talks can't take place in a doctor's office." He smiled, glad that she would see both a doctor and her sister at the same time. They moved towards the staircase, still holding hands, for which he was rather glad as well. As they turned into the living room, he gently guided her towards the dining table, pulling out a chair for her, as a proper gentleman should.

"Would you like some breakfast?"

"Just some tea and toast, if that's alright." He turned and went into the kitchen. As he fiddled with the toaster, Trudy's voice echoed in from the hall.

"Victor, I'm off now, I just- Vera, what are you doing here?" He cursed under his breath, having forgotten about Trudy. He heard her gasp and begin fussing over Vera, having no doubt caught sight of her face.

"Victor, did you know about this?" He turned back around to answer her question, but Vera beat him to it, promising to tell her after talking to her sister.

"Victor, what are you doing?"

"Making tea and toast, what does it look like I'm doing?"

"You'll break the toaster if you keep going like that. Here, let me do that. You go talk to Vera." She took over, deftly placing four slices of bread in the toaster and turning on the kettle. He heeded her words and went to rejoin Vera at the table. She had her head in her hands, and he decided to try and make her smile.

"Trudy has taken over breakfast. It pains me to admit it, but I'm not much of a cook." As she lifted her head and smiled at him, he felt like he was seeing her for the first time again. She turned her face away then, for what reason he couldn't fathom. Well, he could, but thinking about it invoked murderous thoughts about the monster who had hurt her. Trudy placed breakfast on the table just as the doorbell rang. Vera made as if to rise, but Victor, remembering her limp, motioned for her to stay. He knew that jarring an injured bone would be unwise, and he didn't want her in more pain than she already was. Upon opening the door, he was greeted with an almost mirror image of the woman currently seated at the table. Katherine and Vera would have been indistinguishable from one another other, if not for their hair and eyes. Vera's pale blond hair hung in a bob, framing her face, while Katherine's long black hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail. Vera's eyes were a lovely shade of cornflower blue, in stark contrast to Katherine's deep purple ones. The unusual colour took him by surprise; briefly, he wondered if she wore contact lenses.

"Hello, I'm Katherine Devenish. I'm looking for my sister Vera, she told me she was here?" Her accent surprised him as well; he made a mental note to ask Vera later.

"Yes, she's in the living room."

"Thank you. I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name?"

"Victor Rodenmaar."

"Okay." She looked into the living room. "What's wrong with Vera? Apart from bruises, that is."

"She's been feeling rather...upset lately."

"That much I'd gathered. I don't suppose you know why that is, do you?"

"I do, however I believe she wishes to tell you herself."

"It must be serious then."

"I believe it is."

"Well, I should get started then."

"Indeed." He walked over to the door. "I'll leave you to it, shall I?"

Vera answered. "Thank you, Victor." He turned around and ascended the stairs at his usual pace. He needed time to assemble his thoughts, and now, when Vera was talking to her sister, was the ideal opportunity.

"Troubling thoughts, Corbierre." he murmured, stroking the raven's feathers. "I knew Rufus was capable of atrocities, but this..." He shook his head. "How anyone could even think to strike a woman is beyond me." The raven said nothing, of course. The day Corbierre said "Nevermore," would be the day he checked himself into a mental institution. "She needs time, that much is obvious. Will she stay here or leave, though? I would understand if she left, of course, but..." He trailed off. The door to his office was open, and the quiet voices echoing up from downstairs had been replaced by the sound of someone crying. He realised a moment later that it was Vera, and rose from his chair, walking over to the banister. From his perspective, he couldn't quite see into the living room, but he guessed Katherine was comforting her sister. "She needs support," he said quietly. "And I'm not sure I'm the right person to help." A loud beep sounded downstairs, and he glanced down again. Vera seemed to have stopped crying, and was talking. A few seconds later, Katherine ran into the hall and out the door. He took that as his cue to rejoin Vera, and began walking down the stairs. He could hear the car tyres squealing on the driveway. "She seems in a hurry."

He must have startled her; she spun around and he cursed himself for not realising she'd be on edge. "Oh, she was called back to the hospital."

"Nothing too serious, I hope."

"A car crash."

"How ironic. She's going to treat victims of a car accident, while breaking speeding laws trying to get there."

"Kat's always been a little...lax...when it comes to rules."

"So she was similar to Lewis and Clarke, then?"

"We both were."

"You both were?" This surprised him as well; he would never have pictured Vera as a prankster.

"Oh, yes. We even had a nickname; the Twin Terrors. Surprised?"

"Honestly, yes."

"Most people are. I grew out of it, mostly. Kat didn't." She gave a small laugh, sighing after. He noticed and, guessing that she was feeling nostalgic, squeezed her hand again.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

"Really?" She clearly wasn't; she looked fragile, like the slightest thing would shatter her, and she would collapse in tears.

"No, I'm not. I just...well...it's been a hard day." She looked like she was about to break down any second. He decided to comfort her before she could, and gently drew her into his arms. She sighed again. "Victor..."

"Yes?"

"...Nothing." She pulled away from him, before practically running upstairs. He wasn't sure what he should do: go after her immediately, or give her space. He decided to go after her and bring her some water, reasoning that crying dehydrated the body. Trudy came out of the living room just then.

"Where's Vera?"

"She went upstairs."

"Oh, right. Well, I'll be off then."

"Very well." He went into the kitchen, filling a glass with water, before heading upstairs. Pausing outside the attic door, he could hear Vera sobbing inside. Gently, he knocked on the door.

"Vera?"

The sobs subsided. "Come in."

He eased open the door. Vera was standing beside her bed, her eyes pink and and puffy. Silently he offered her the glass.

"Thank you." she murmured, taking a sip and sitting on the trunk at the end of her bed. He sat down beside her. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Everything."

"Don't be. There's just one thing I don't understand."

"What's that?"

He looked into her eyes. "Why didn't you tell me?"

She sighed. "I...I was scared. I was going to leave, after what that spirit did to me but..."

"But?" He was curious as to what stopped her.

"He threatened to kill me." she whispered.

"He..." His blood boiled.

"He told me that if I didn't get the Mask, he'd send me to the afterlife the old-fashioned way."

Victor was speechless. Rufus hitting Vera was bad enough, but actually threatening her life? He deserved to burn for that.

"Victor?"

"Hm?"

"Thank you."

"You already thanked me."

"No, I mean thank you for letting me stay, after everything I did."

He took her hand again. "Of course I let you stay. I would never hold something like that against you. Not when you're being forced to do it." She smiled at him, and laid her head on his shoulder. He put an arm around her, and they simply stayed like that, happy in each other's company.


	4. Honeysuckle

**A/N: **I finally updated! Holla!

o~0~o

_4. Honeysuckle (Affection)_

Vera had no idea how long they'd sat there together, but she didn't have much of a problem with it. She'd always felt safe with Victor, no matter how afraid or upset she was, and now, with his arm around her, she felt almost completely at ease. Some small voice told her to be careful, that getting too close would be dangerous, but she ignored it. She was perfectly safe with him, she knew, and he would never hurt her. Still, she couldn't help a slight trepidation every time he startled her.

"Vera?"

"Hmm?"

"Perhaps we could move downstairs? This trunk is rather, well, uncomfortable."

"Yes, you're right." She stood up, hissing slightly at the pins and needles in her legs.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, my leg just fell asleep."

He rose to join her, groaning quietly as he did. "I'm not quite as young as I used to be." he murmured.

"None of us are." He smiled gently at that, gesturing towards the door. She crossed the room, resting her hand lightly on the doorknob for a second before turning it. Victor was behind her, close enough that he would barely have to move to touch her. She wouldn't complain if he did. Jump, maybe, but certainly not complain. She missed the closeness they used to have, the small touches and gentle caresses. Now, a massive wedge had been driven between them. It seemed be wearing away slightly, though, if the way he kept reaching for her hand was anything to go by. It could have been merely him comforting her, but she hoped he wasn't simply pitying her. The heel of her shoe caught on one of the steps, and Victor caught her before she fell. His hands lingered at her waist slightly longer than necessary, and she drew a quick breath, blushing bright red.

"Are you alright? Your ankle-"

"I'm fine." She thought desperately of ice floes, freezers, anything to reduce the blush rising in her cheeks. He didn't seem to notice, thankfully.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." Her blush faded quickly, and they moved along the hall, descending the stairs as before. They turned towards the sofa, sitting beside each other. He hesitated slightly, before gently placing his arm around her shoulders again. She leaned back into the embrace, trying to relax.

"I meant to ask..."

"Ask what?"

"Well, I noticed that your sister-"

"Has purple eyes." She was used to people asking about Katherine's unusual eye colour.

"That too, but I was talking about her accent. And the fact that you don't seem to have the same accent."

"Oh, that. We do actually have the same accent, if you listen closely."

"So you're Irish, then?"

"I am."

"You don't speak like you're from Ireland."

"I know, I don't use many colloquialisms when I'm abroad." He was looking at her, as if he regretted something. "Is something wrong, Victor?"

"I was just thinking how little I know about you." He blushed slightly, and she had to suppress a giggle.

"Well, what would you like to know?"

"Really?" Again, she had to suppress a giggle. He looked completely surprised.

"Yes."

"Well, I did wonder about your family..."

"My parents live just outside of Dublin. Mammy runs a book stall in the market on Saturdays, and Dad is the Garda Commissioner. My brother Brendan lives in the Connemara Gaeltacht-"

"Gaeltacht?"

"An area where people only speak Irish."

"Ah."

"So, Brendan lives in Connemara. Nicky lives on a farm in Wexford. His twin Laura lives in Dublin and works as a music teacher and you've already met Katherine."

"Big family."

"It was chaos when we were younger. We're all near enough the same age, and we bickered a lot."

"You're scattered all around the country now, though."

"Yes. We used to all live in Wexford, but we separated after that. Laura, Katherine and I went to university in Dublin, Nicky went to Cork and Brendan went to Galway. Laura stayed in Dublin, Brendan went to the Gaeltacht, Nicky inherited our uncle's farm and Katherine and I came to Liverpool. Our parents moved to Dublin after Dad got promoted."

"You have a degree, then?"

"Two, actually. A pH.D in Biochemistry, as well as a science and maths education degree."

"Impressive. You could put Mr Sweet out of a job, Doctor." She did laugh at that.

"I suppose I could." She felt a lot more relaxed now, sleepy, even. Stifling a yawn, she lay her head in Victor's shoulder again. Her eyelids felt heavy, and she finally gave in and dozed off.

o~0~o

Sunlight streamed in through the window, glaring in Vera's eyes. She groaned, lifting her hand to block the light.

"What time is it?" Victor seemed to have fallen asleep as well.

"Erm...half seven."

"Thanks. I didn't know you had a scar." She glanced at the hand he was indicating.

"Oh, that. I had an accident in a Home Ec. exam when I was fifteen."

"How did you manage to slice open the back of your own right hand?"

"I was picking up a fork off the floor and another girl dropped her knife. We both failed."

"Why?"

"I had to go to the hospital for stitches, and her food burned while she was checking if I was alright."

"Shouldn't you have been allowed to do the test again?"

"Probably, but we had a horrible teacher."

"That's unfair."

"It is, but I don't need a grade to know I can cook." The peace of the moment was interrupted by a slight stab of pain to her stomach. She hissed slightly, pressing her hand to her stomach.

"What's wrong?" He looked concerned.

"Hunger pangs, I think. We missed dinner."

"And lunch."

"More than likely hunger pangs, then." She rose and stretched, arching her back slightly. He was looking at her again, and she blushed, glancing away. "I should go change..." She hurried up the stairs, gently closing the door behind her. She leaned against the door for a moment, before grabbing her pink sweater and monochrome skirt and heading into the bathroom. Emerging from her room half an hour later, she felt much better. Downstairs, she watched with amusement as Victor struggled in the kitchen, before intervening.

"Victor, if you can't do something, there's no shame in asking for help."

"Yes, well..." He blushed again, and she laughed, before taking over the breakfast.

"So," she began as she rejoined him at the table, handing him a cup of tea. "You know about my family..."

"And now you want to know about mine." He was staring into his cup, and she could see he wasn't comfortable talking about it.

"Victor, if you don't want to talk-"

"No. You told me about your family, you deserve to hear about mine." He took a breath. "My mother died when I was young."

"Oh." Her voice was barely above a whisper. Gently, she reached out and lay her hand on his arm. He glanced up at her before continuing.

"My father was never the same after she died. He became obsessed with the elixir, with maintaining life."

"And you..."

"And I...I turned away my best friend." He fell silent, staring into his cup once more. She said nothing, moving closer and resting her other hand on his shoulder. He turned towards her, and she drew a quick breath as their faces came far closer together than before. Both leaned in at the same time, lips about to meet when another stab of pain shot through Vera's stomach. She gasped and pressed her hand to her stomach, reeling back.

"Vera?"

"I-I'm fine." She breathed in experimentally; the pain was gone as quickly as it had come. Victor moved behind her and rested his hand lightly on her back.

"Are you sure you're alright? This is the second time this has happened today."

"I think so..."

"You think? Vera-" He was cut off by the sound of a telephone ringing upstairs. "That's mine. Will you be alright alone for a few moments?"

"I'm not a china doll, Victor. I won't break."

"If you're sure..."

"Victor, go answer the phone."

"Yes ma'am." The mischief was clearly audible in his voice, and she swatted him lightly as he walked out. She smiled to herself, shaking her head.

"I think I may have been a bad influence on him." she murmured, picking up her now cooled tea. Brining the cup to her lips, she thought about her current situation. All in all, she reasoned, she was in a far better situation than she had been a few days ago. Thinking about what had nearly transpired a few moments ago, her cheeks flushed red and she smiled again. That was brought to a halt, however, when another stab of pain drove through her. This was far, far worse than the earlier two, and she screamed for Victor as the pain refused to recede. Briefly, she thought she heard him call her name, before the room started spinning and everything went black.

o~0~o

*runs from angry mob* Remember, dead authors can't update! (shouted over shoulder)


	5. Azalea

**A/N**: Merry Christmas! I see we all survived the end of the world. And in the spirit of the season, we have a nice fluffy chapter for our favourite couple!

o~0~o

_5. Azalea ("Take care")_

Victor sat in the hospital waiting room, head in hands. Only a few hours ago, life had seemed almost perfect. Vera had seemed to relax a little more around him, to the point where they had nearly kissed. And now, she was fighting for her life in an operating theatre while he was forced to sit here, not knowing whether she was alive or - no. He wouldn't entertain that thought, no matter how likely it seemed to be. Running his hands through his dark hair, he pictured her again in his mind's eye: pale blonde hair, clear, intelligent blue eyes, delicate features. Her slender fingers, gently turning the pages of a book or guiding pencil across paper. He'd never asked to see her drawings, having decided to respect that portion of her privacy. Now though, he wanted to see what had drawn her attention away from the world for a while, wanted to see if her drawings were as beautiful as she herself was. What he wanted most at the minute, though, was to see Vera alive and well again, to hear her voice and hold her in his arms once more. Pushing away some of the more inappropriate thoughts, he noticed Katherine approaching him. The poor woman looked as though she had been to hell and back in the last few hours. He couldn't blame her; in fact, he probably looked fairly similar.

"How is she?"

"She's awake. Her room is just over there; first door on the left. She's fairly upset though, she might not want to see anyone."

"Thank you." He knew he should say more, but right now every fibre in his being was pulling him towards the room where his, well, his love rested. He had finally acknowledged his true feelings towards Vera shortly after arriving at the hospital, and if the events of that morning were anything to go by, his feelings were not unreciprocated. Pushing open the door, he saw her, lying on her side in the bed. Tear tracks were just visible on her cheeks, and as he moved towards her bedside, he could see her shoulders still shaking.

"Vera?" No response. He reached out and gently brushed her hair away from her face. She turned, and he could see in her eyes how distressed she was by whatever news she'd received. "Vera, please tell me what's wrong."

"I..." She eased herself upright in the bed, wincing slightly.

"Vera, don't hurt yourself."

"It's fine." Her right hand still rested on her stomach, and he hesitated a moment before placing his hand on top of hers, careful not to hurt her. She glanced at him, then down into her lap. "I collapsed...because of what _he_ did." Victor felt furious hearing this, and must have looked it too, because she continued. "There's more," she added quietly. "I...I might not be able to have children." She started crying again at this, moving closer to him. He said nothing, instead slipping his other arm around her shoulder and pulling her gently into him. "I-I used to h-hope that..."

"Vera?" Both of them looked up, Vera moving away slightly. Katherine stood on the doorway, clipboard in hand. "How are you feeling?"

"A bit better. When can I go?"

"Oh, not this again!"

"What do you mean, not this again?" The sisters bantered good-naturedly as Victor zoned out, processing this latest news. It really was unfair. Almost as soon as she was free from her nightmare, it struck again, dealing a worse blow than any yet. Briefly he wondered; would she be able to recover, or would she be forever scarred by all this hardship? It reminded him of a conversation they'd had in his office, where she had insisted that she could look after herself. He certainly hoped that she could, or if she couldn't, that she would accept help from somewhere.

"And then the purple aliens will take over and make Alfie emperor because he believed they existed, and we'll have to spend our time mining for gummy bears in South America..."

"What?" Vera was glaring amusedly at him, while Katherine appeared to have left.

"I have been talking nonsense," she began mock-seriously, "for the past two minutes. You only just noticed, which means you didn't listen to a word I said before that, did you?"

"...No."

"Thought not. So, what are we going to do in September? The students won't exactly be pleased to see me."

"You're going to stay?"

"Yes, if that's alright with you."

"Of course it is." He tried not to let how relieved he was show. He'd been worried that she'd want to leave Anubis House (and him), but his fears were clearly unfounded.

"Thank you." She smiled up at him. "Now, September?"

"Apart from the students' opinions, I don't see any issues."

"Well, there is the fact that you fired me."

He winced. "Sorry about that. You're rehired, by the way."

"Thanks. What are we going to tell Mr. Sweet? You've fired and then rehired me in the space of less than a week."

"That won't be an issue."

"How can you be so sure?"

"There was a similar incident with Trudy."

She arched her eyebrows. "How similar?"

"She was fired, and Mr. Sweet rehired her a couple of days later."

"Do I want to know why you fired her?"

"And who said I fired her?"

"Who else would?" He was glad to see her able to laugh, because it meant she might get through this. She nestled her head back into his shoulder, sighing quietly, and he wrapped his arm around her again. A few minutes later, he remembered what he wanted to ask her.

"I meant to ask..." He trailed off. She'd fallen asleep on his shoulder, one hand still resting on her injured stomach. Gently, he lowered her back onto her pillow. He hesitated a moment, before bending down and kissing her lightly on the forehead.

"Take care," he whispered.

o~0~o

The main door of Anubis House creaked open, and a slender woman slipped inside, easing the door shut. The cellar door was slightly ajar, and she took that to mean that Victor was downstairs. Quietly, she tiptoed upstairs and rested her hand on the knob of the door which led to his office.

"And just what are you planning to do in my office?" She spun around, relaxing when she saw who it was.

"Alright, how did you know I'd be here?"

"Katherine told me you were being discharged early. Now, why were you going into my office?"

"I wanted to surprise you."

"In what way?"

"A pleasant way, I hope. Or wouldn't you have been happy to see me?"

"Of course I would have." She smiled at that, moving forward and allowing him to embrace her. "I missed you."

"Missed me? You visited me every day, for as long as possible!"

"Allow me to rephrase. I missed seeing you here, healthy and not lying in a hospital bed annoying your sister."

"I had to entertain myself somehow, didn't I?"

"Are you sure you're just not a terrible patient?" She considered various methods of quieting him, before her phone buzzed and emitted the opening bars of "Poor Unfortunate Souls".

"Interesting ringtone."

"It's Brendan's signature. We don't usually get along." She placed the phone to her ear.

"Dia duit, a deirfiúr beag." _"Hey, little sister"_

"Cad ba mhaith leat, Bhriondáin?" _"What do you want, Brendan?"_

"Cén fáth go cheapann tú ba maith liom aon rud?" _"Why do you think I want anything?"_

"Ní chuireann tú aon glaoc orm mura mhaith leat rud éigin." _"You never call me unless you want something."_

"Féac, is tusa an duine is óige sa chlann agus-" _"Look, you're the youngest of the family and-"_

"Agus? Nílim an leanbh sa chlann níos mó, táim in ann breathnú i ndiadh mé féin." _"And? I'm not the baby of the family any more, I can look after myself."_

"Dá ndéarfá mar sin..." _"If you say so..."_

"Cad. Ba. Mhaith. Leat?" _"What. Do. You. Want?"_

"Bachóirduitdulabhaile."_ "Youshouldcomehome."_

"...Cad?"_ "...What?"_

"Ba chóir duit dul abhaile." _"You should come home."_

"Gabh mo leithscéal? Ba chóir dom dul abhaile?" _"Excuse me? I should come home?"_

"Dúirt Catríona go raibh tú san ospidéal." _"Katherine said you were in the hospital."_

"Tá go leor cúiseanna le hagaidh cúpla laethanta a chaitheamh san ospidéal." _"There's lots of reasons to spend a few days in the hospital."_

"Téigh abhaile." _"Come home."_ And with that, he hung up, leaving Vera staring at her phone.

"Féin-lárnach, santach-" _"Self-centred, egotistical-"_

"I didn't understand a word of that, but I take it you didn't like what he said."

She sighed. "No, no I didn't." Victor put his arms around her again, and she leaned back against him.

"Will you tell me?"

"He asked, no, he ordered me to go back to Ireland. If he honestly thinks I'm going to listen to him because he's older-"

"So you won't listen to me then?" The teasing note in his voice was clearly audible.

"I've definitely been a bad influence on you." He chuckled, and she turned in his arms.

"So, are you going to go?"

She sighed, resting her head in his shoulder. "I don't know. I do miss Ireland, but I'd miss yo- here," she clarified hastily. "I'd miss here if I left."

"Why don't you visit for a while? It might put your mind at ease."

"Well, if I do..."

"You'd still miss me."

She lifted her head, looking at him. "Should have known you'd catch that. Yes, I would miss you."

"I can think of one way..."

"Are you offering to come with me?" He blushed, and she continued hesitantly. "Because I...I would like that." Her voice was just above a whisper by the end, and she looked away, blushing furiously.

"Shall we call it a date, then?"

She looked back up at him, searching his face. "We shall." He smiled gently and, hesitantly, leaned down to brush his mouth against hers, before pulling back. Vera bit her lip, making up her mind in an instant, and reached up to return the favour. Both pulled away after a few seconds, smiling sheepishly at each other. Victor pulled Vera closer and she rested her head on his shoulder again, for the moment blissfully happy.

o~0~o

YAY VICTERA! Sorry, I just had to put that in. Next chapter: Ireland! Let's see how Victor fares with Vera's family...


End file.
